Someone interested in the history and technology of "full-size" locomotives and not in model railroading might have overlooked the November 2006 issue of "Railroad Model Craftsman".
Pp. 63-69 have an article by Robert Mohowski on the FTSB, with reproductions of EMD and M&StL diagrams in addition to HO scale drawings. Nice historical writing, with bits about the technical (inadequate clearance over traction motors for 1939-technology heavy-duty draft gear) and, um, "cultural" reasons for drawbar connection of FT units. Worth the magazine just for this article!
And the following (pp. 70-79) article on modelling the DL&W's FTA-FTSB-FTA sets has a box on p. 78 answering a question which should have occurred to many of us (but didn't-- I feel stupid-- to me): suppose a railroad, in order to perform heavy maintenance on one unit, split a drawbar-connected FT set-- what did they do with the good unit? Seems a pity to leave a serviceable diesel lying idle, but it has no coupler on one end!
The answer involves what would now be called an "adaptor car," and there is a photo of a very elegant one the DL&W rebuilt from
((((THINK: what might a late steam-era railroad shop have lying around spare with an automatic coupler at one end and a slot for a drawbar at the other?))))
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a steam locomotive tender.
Pp. 63-69 have an article by Robert Mohowski on the FTSB, with reproductions of EMD and M&StL diagrams in addition to HO scale drawings. Nice historical writing, with bits about the technical (inadequate clearance over traction motors for 1939-technology heavy-duty draft gear) and, um, "cultural" reasons for drawbar connection of FT units. Worth the magazine just for this article!
And the following (pp. 70-79) article on modelling the DL&W's FTA-FTSB-FTA sets has a box on p. 78 answering a question which should have occurred to many of us (but didn't-- I feel stupid-- to me): suppose a railroad, in order to perform heavy maintenance on one unit, split a drawbar-connected FT set-- what did they do with the good unit? Seems a pity to leave a serviceable diesel lying idle, but it has no coupler on one end!
The answer involves what would now be called an "adaptor car," and there is a photo of a very elegant one the DL&W rebuilt from
((((THINK: what might a late steam-era railroad shop have lying around spare with an automatic coupler at one end and a slot for a drawbar at the other?))))
.
.
.
.
.
a steam locomotive tender.
